Treasures Without Price

So many fun days at the beach.  Once the sun came out we had to make little shade structures.  The boogie boards worked great!  Love these cute sisters!

Ahh, surfing was so much fun!  Jade and Adam always had a great time catching the waves.

One of Adam's life goals is to learn to surf.  He was pretty excited to join the locals on his short board and actually catch some waves!!!  I guess it takes a 3 month trip to the most amazing surfing to finally catch on!  He did awesome!

Lincoln made me a cute mermaid tale all by himself!

This is the river at Punta Uva.  We liked to rinse off here before we'd go home.  It had a fun little rope swing the kids played on, but we were a little nervous about the cleanliness of the water...

On our last night we thought it would be so fun to finally go out to eat at one of the cute little restaurants near Playa Grande. We had a lot to pack and didn't want to also have a dinner mess to clean up.  After 2 hours and $75, we realized that our home cooking is way better and we could have eaten and cleaned up in less time!  Oh well.  We walked home in the light of the full moon and enjoyed our last walk in the most perfect weather in the most perfect place on earth.  The howl of the monkeys, the song of the toucans, the crash of the waves, the friendly people, the slow pace, the bright sunshine, the lush green forests, the perfect sand beaches, and the happiness we felt cannot be forgotten.  The firm relationships between each of us, the closeness and the bond we feel after so many adventures together, and the Spirit that guided us are treasures without price.  We will forever feel a connection to this beautiful country and all that we learned.  We are all better people because of our experiences living in this wonderful Costa Rica.

Dolphins!

From the time we arrived in Manzanillo a month ago, we had heard that we could take a boat out into the bay and see dolphins, but the sea had been so rough that we thought we'd miss it.  However, the 2nd day before we left, I saw some guys with a boat on the beach.  I asked them if they could take us out to see the dolphins and they excitedly agreed, explaining that the next day would be better. We woke up early, the last day before we left for good, thrilled for the adventure that awaited. The sun shone brightly and the sea was calmer than it had been in months. It was perfect!!

The scenery was exquisitely beautiful with the luster of the sun reflecting on the bright blue water.

People sleep in this cave!  It has tents in it, so kayakers can travel to it for a fun campout.

And here they are!!!  We found a couple of groups of dolphins, but mostly followed these two around.  Our guide said they are fairly old, as their fins are gray.  They really put on a show for us!  They'd criss cross in front of our boat, flip their tails, and blow their holes right by us.  It was so AMAZING!!!!!  We were in heaven!!!

The kids thought this was greatest thing ever!

What a fantastic day!  The dolphins were so wonderful and we were in awe at their gentle beauty.

Our boat drove to a secluded yoga retreat where we toured their incredible gardens.  They grow most of the food they eat there.  I wish I could remember what these pictures are of...but I don't.  Some sort of food that surprised me.

Of course all the kids wanted to hold the giant golden orb weaver spiders!

We stayed at the beautiful beach for a while snorkeling, collecting shells, eating lunch, and enjoying the peaceful afternoon.

After we returned back to our beach, we bought some cold coconut water and enjoyed a refreshing drink, sadly knowing it would be our last.  I can't think of a better way to spend our last day!